Just One Night: Part 5 (8 page)

Frank gives her a short bow. “You have my full support, and I thank you for your concern about my welfare, but it is not necessary.” He stands straight. “Edward, please set up a meeting with your brother to discuss handing over some clients.”

“What?”

“You heard me. We have several clients that William brought on board and I’m happy to send them over his way, assuming they wish to go.”

Edward makes a very low bow. “As you wish, my liege.”

“And don’t be a smart arse about it, either.”

Edward bows again. “I will make my best efforts, my liege, to not be smart about it.”

I am humbled, almost too much so to speak. Thank goodness my partner isn’t suffering the same problem.

“Thank you, Mr. Stratford,” Jennifer says. “That’s very generous of you.”

“Please, call me Frank. And do come by for brunch. We’ll start at ten as the boys know. Ingrid will be there, and I’m sure everyone will be polite and happy to see her.” He glares at me.

“We’d love to come,” Jennifer says. She really sounds as if she means it too. I shall have to check her for fever when we’re back in the car. “This weekend?”

“Yes, this weekend. And if it isn’t too much trouble, could you wear white?”

Jennifer laughs. “I have just the dress. See you Sunday.” She turns her attention to Edward. “When is it convenient for you to meet with William?”

I can see the storm in Edward’s eyes and the answer
Never
ready to dance from his lips, but instead he stares at Jennifer’s chest and says, “Whenever he likes.”

I have underestimated the power of Jennifer’s bits. Stupid of me, really.

“Tomorrow suits me,” I say, proud as punch to be standing at her side, and not just because of those breasts. Her brain is so much more attractive to me right now, as is her ability to manage three angry, bull-headed men with aplomb. “Five p.m. sharp.”

“As you wish,” Edward says, turning away to stare at the computer.

“Okay. We have another appointment, so …” Jennifer leans over and shakes my father’s hand. “Thank you again, Frank. See you Sunday.”

“I will be delighted to see you then,” he says.

I nod perfunctorily and guide Jennifer towards the door. I’m afraid if we don’t leave right this instant something terrible will happen and all the good she’s done will collapse into rubble around our ears.

“Best of luck to you, Stratford & Moorehouse,” my father says at our backs.

“Thank youuuu!” Jennifer trills as I push her out the door.

CHAPTER NINE

Jennifer

I’M NOT SURE HOW WE managed it, but it’s Saturday afternoon and we’ve already met with the property owners up and down the Goodmans’ block. William is some kind of miracle worker. His charm and negotiating skills are something for the record books. I’ve never seen anything like it before. People from all walks of life are suddenly falling in line, agreeing to pretty much everything he’s asked for. Two phone calls after the meeting and he already has investors lined up to buy in on the project we’ve put together.

“That’s it, then,” he says, shutting his car door and settling into the seat beside me. “Everyone is on board.”

“I just can’t believe it.” I shake my head. “I tried for months to get in touch with those people, and I got nowhere.” I don’t want to be mad about that because we did so well today, but it is pretty damn frustrating.

“Not nowhere, don’t be silly. You got them thinking. They knew well before we arrived who we were and what we wanted to do for them. That’s your groundwork paying off, not mine.”

I can’t keep my eyes off him. He not only manages to charm and convince strangers, he does the same with me, and I don’t even see it coming. I don’t want to fight it either. “You’re pretty awesome, you know that? I feel like the luckiest girl alive.”

My face burns as soon as the words leave my mouth. Talk about putting on the pressure. Talk about exposing everything.
Ack!
Apparently closing massive business deals makes me completely stupid.

He stares into my eyes and smiles. It seems like he’s doing a lot more of that these days. Or maybe I just want to believe that so I can see what I want to see.

“I feel exactly the same way,” he says. “About you, that is, not myself.”

I giggle. “You’re silly.”

“No, you’re the silly one.” He reaches out and pokes me in the ribs. At least, I think that’s what he meant to do, but instead he jabs my boob.

I put my hand on my chest in a protective gesture. “Hey, watch it, buster.”

He frowns. “Who is this buster person? Should I be jealous?”

“Yes,” I say, grinning evilly. “Be very jealous. He’s super hot.”

“Oh reeeallly?” William pokes me again. This time the boob contact was on purpose, I’m sure of it.

I grab his hand. “Yes, really. And he’s very protective, so you’d better watch out.”

William pulls his hand to his mouth, capturing my fingers so he can kiss them. He never breaks eye contact with me as his warm lips meet my skin and rest there. It makes my heart go crazy with beats. “I will fight him for you any day of the week and twice on Sundays.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’re making a move on me,” I say, trying to sound cool when inside I’m turning into mush.

He raises an eyebrow. “You, Jennifer Moorehouse of Stratford & Moorehouse Investments, are a very,
very
astute woman.”

My heart leaps as the heat settles inside me. He can get me turned on with a single look. I check out the area around us, taking in the empty parking lot and quiet neighborhood. Everyone who was at our meeting has gone and left us alone.

“Feel like messing around?” I ask, trying to figure out how we could make it work without getting arrested for indecent exposure.

He looks out the car windows to the outside area surrounding us. Then he turns to me. “Are you serious? Because if you’re not, please stop now. A man can only take so much before he cracks under the pressure.”

“Pressure? Are you feeling stressed?” I ask, a plan forming in my mind.

“Not particularly.”

I frown at him.

“Maybe a touch?” he says, searching my face for confirmation.

I continue to frown, my eyebrows raised.

“Actually, I’m feeling quite pressured and stressed.” He frowns exaggeratedly. “Very, very. I’m a veritable
bundle
of nerves.”

I smile.

He smiles back. “Was that the right answer?”

“You tell me,” I say, reaching over and unzipping his pants.

He looks down at what I’m doing. “I’d say yes, definitely. Right answer. Tally ho.”

When I finally have his buckle free and his dick exposed, I’m happy to see that it’s already hard. This must mean I’m on the right track. He’s breathing heavily, too.

“Jennifer, are you sure …”

He never gets the rest of his words out because I put my lips on him and it steals the words out of his mouth. I taste salt.

“Ooooh, woman …” He leans back and rests his head on the seat, scooting his hips forward a little so he’s more reclined.

It’s not the easiest position to give a blowjob in, but the excitement of doing it where we shouldn’t makes up for that drawback. I listen for his gasps of pleasure and moans to let me know if I’m doing what he likes or not.

“Oh, Jennifer … where did you come from?”

I pause to smile. “Nowhere special,” I say before going back to licking the length of him.

He reaches over and smacks me on the ass. “Never say that,” he says, just before moaning again. His hips strain up to meet me and his breathing picks up. “Bloody hell, you know exactly how to get to me, don’t you?”

I sure hope so
, I think to myself as I run my hand up and down the length of his cock while keeping my mouth on the end.

It doesn’t take long. I’ve stroked him a couple dozen times and done all kinds of tongue gymnastics on the head of his dick, and I can tell he’s already losing control. I love a man who is so responsive.

“Darling, I’m nearing the end,” he says, his voice strained.

I take this as his friendly warning to watch out if I don’t want to be involved in the actual orgasm, but I’m not going to quit now. I’m too turned-on to let him finish without me. Something about William makes me want to do things I wouldn’t normally want to do.

“Dammit! Fuck!” he yells, grabbing my blouse at my back and twisting it into a knot. His hips thrust up several times in a row as he reaches orgasm. I pray no one is walking around in the parking lot right now because there’s no way either of us could stop.

I sit up once he’s recovered enough to stop seizing and take a long drink from the bottle of water I have in my purse. I can’t look at him, too embarrassed to face him after doing what I did. The heat of the moment had me riding the sexy train, but now I feel like I’m on the short bus instead. Did I do the wrong thing? Is he going to think less of me now? Was that too slutty?

“Jennifer,” he says, sounding slightly out of breath, “I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve such a special gift, but can I just say right now that you are the sexiest fucking woman I have ever known in my entire life?”

I try not to giggle, but it’s really hard. “Is that so?” I take another gulp of water, hoping like hell that I don’t have nasty breath. If he tries to kiss me will I let him? Yes, I think I will. It’s so intimate, but we’ve done just about everything else. And I feel so comfortable with him. It’s crazy to think we’ve only known each other a few weeks. It seems more like years.

“Yes, that is so,” he confirms. “And if it’s isn’t too much to ask, I’m just curious, is there any chance of you ever doing that again? Because if there is, I will do pretty much anything you ask to make that come to fruition.”

I shrug. “Close another ten million dollar deal and we’ll see.”

He sits up straight and buckles and zips his pants, tucking his shirt in when he’s finished. “Done. Consider it done and dusted. I’ll have another one wrapped up by six this evening.”

I laugh. “Easy, killer.”

He starts up the car and pulls out of the parking lot. “We’re off to meet with Edward. Shall I drop you home or will you accompany me?”

“Drop me home,” I say, floating around on cloud nine somewhere. “I’ll let you and Edward duke it out without me.”

“Wise move.” He stops at a red light and leans over, pulling me to him by the back of my neck. “You are mine and I adore you,” he says, before pressing a seriously hot kiss to my lips.

“Ooo, I like it when you get all bossy,” I say, leaning back in my seat as he takes off in first gear.

He glances over at me, his gaze going dark. “Oh, you have no idea what I have in store for you.”

My heart goes crazy and my panties go wet with desire. I cannot wait to see what he means by that.

CHAPTER TEN

William

I’VE COME READY FOR BATTLE, but I shouldn’t have bothered. Edward’s not shirty at all. He looks more as if he’s been run over by a lorry.

“What happened to you?” I ask, sitting down across the desk from him. It rankles that he’s in the Italian leather and I’m in the vinyl, but I say not a word about it. I don’t want to give him the upper hand.

“Scotland happened to me.
You
happened to me.” He rests his forehead in his hand. “I’m completely knackered, and I’ve a stonking migraine that won’t quit with all this bloody bumpf you’ve left behind.” He gestures angrily at the stack of papers at the corner of my former desk.

I can see our mother now, leaning over him to kiss him on the back of the head.
“Edward,”
she’d say,
“what’s the matter, darling? What can I do to make it better?”
She was always the soft one of the family. I miss her dearly, but I can only imagine how Edward must feel. He was her favorite and she his. Spoiled rotten baby of the family, he was.

“I can’t see as how I’m the problem,” I say, not feeling sorry for him one bit. “I don’t even work here anymore.”

“Exactly!” Edward shouts, dropping his hand and slamming it on the tabletop. “I’m left to pick up all the bloody pieces, and I’ve done nothing but make a pig’s ear of it!”

“Pieces?” I say, half laughing. “I’ve not left anything in pieces. Everything was tickety-boo when I resigned. If it’s shambolic now it’s not on my account, so quit your whinging.”

“Scotland was entirely shambolic when you left and it’s even worse now. The dog’s breakfast is what it is. It’s driving me spare.”

That shuts me up most effectively. Scotland was a thorn in my side when I left, that’s a fact. “Have you figured out what the problem is?”

“No, not yet. I have to go over there.” He growls and pushes some papers to the floor. “Fecking Scots. When I get there, if I found out it’s one of our people playing the fiddle on company time I’ll …”

“You’ll what?” I can only imagine Edward’s means of handling such a situation. “Have a barney?”

“No.” Edward glares at me. “I’ll sort it.”

“You’ll sort it. And how exactly will you sort it, may I ask?”

“No, you may not ask,” he says in a smarmy tone, “because you don’t work here any longer, or have you forgotten?”

“No, I haven’t. But thank you for that reminder.” I open up my agenda. “I’m here to gather the information for the accounts you wish to share with me.”

“You must mean the accounts
Father
wishes to share with you because if it were up to me, you’d get nowt.”

“Well, it’s not up to you,” I say, tapping my pen to paper. “Who shall be first?”

“Here.” Edward flicks a paper at me from the top of his stack. “Rachel made a list at Father’s behest.”

I grab the paper before it falls to the floor and scan the names, happy to see that all of the people I brought into the fold and a few extras are there. “Is it my birthday?” I ask, feeling a little overwhelmed at the generosity. Perhaps Ingrid has given Father a bj. That might explain the bonus accounts. I know I was ready to hand over the kingdom myself earlier today.

“You’d think so, wouldn’t you?” Edward says, bitterly.

I frown at him. “Why are you so angry about it? What difference does it make to you? It won’t change your allowance, you can be sure of that.”